Textile fiber combing machines

ABSTRACT

A textile fiber combing machine in which the fibers to be combed are carried at a plurality of stations around a bed-ring on a rotary circular ring over which they are drawn and to which they are intermittently clamped by nip blocks and initially combed by a rotary cylinder, the fibers being then combed by pins on the nip blocks and given a reverse feed by a knife engaging a groove in the rotary ring.

United States Patent 1191 5/1969 Chaikin et al. 19/123 Clark [4 March 6, 1973 TEXTILE FIBER COMBING MACHINES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor: Edward Watson Clark, 9 Ambleside 2,367 1861 Great Britain; ..l9/ 123 Avenue, Bradford, England 14,810 9/1881 Germany ...19/l22 16,253 1892 Great Britain. ..l9/l22 [221 Flledi P 1970 27,258 5/1884 Germany ..19/122 [211 pp No 71 594 223,376 l0/l924 Great Britain ..l9/l22 Primary Examiner-Dorsey Newton [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney-Norris & Bateman Sept. 17, Great Britain 52 us. or ..19/123 A textile fiber combing machine in which the fibers o 51 lm. c1. ..DOlg 19/02 he Combed are Carried at a plurality of around 58 Field of Search ..19/122 123 124 R a bed-ring a rotary circular ring Over which they are drawn and to which they are intermittently clamped by nip blocks and initially combed by a ro- [56] References cued tary cylinder, the fibers being then combed by pins on U l E S A PATENTS the nip blocks and given a reverse feed by a knife engaging a groove in the rotary ring. 768,381 8/1904 Lee ..l9/l24 R 13 Claims, 31 Drawing Figures l PATENTEDHAR-BIHB SHEET 01 [1F 11 /N YEN '0 Q LDWARD WATSON CLARK PATENTEH 61975 I 3.718844 L/zS N O Q EDWARD WATSON CLARK 8 Wm AMEN any PATENTED 61975 V ,71 ,944

SHEET OBUF 11 LDWARD WATSON CLARK @ZZ/a PATENTEDHAR 61w 3.718.944

SHEET 0U HF 11 hDWARD IWATSON CLARK BY PATENTEDHAR 81975 uv glv'roe LDWARD WATSON CLARK PATENTEU MR 9 5 SHEET lUUF 11 vgrv TO Q wwAun wA'rsou CLARK 1 TEXTILE FIBER COMBING MACHINES This invention relates to improvements in textile fiber combing machines.

Textile fibers are normally combed to separate the longer fibers from short fibers vegetable impurities, neps etc., in a Noble or Rectilinear Combing machine.

A combing machine has also been proposed having two rotatable annular members adapted to rotate in planes approximately perpendicular to one another so that portions of each member pass adjacent to one another, each annular member bearing a set of projecting pins extending out of the plane of rotation of the annular member in a direction approximately perpendicular to the direction of the other set of pins so that upon rotation of the annular members each set of pins moves adjacently past, with a component downward relatively to, the other set of pins.

A further combing machine has also been proposed having a plurality of stationary feeding mechanisms arranged to feed forward intermittently a plurality of slivers of fibers to be combed, said feeding mechanisms being arranged around the circumference of a feed circle, a rotating comb means constructed and arranged to comb the forward ends of slivers fed radially inwards towards the center of the feed circle by the feeding mechanisms, means to rotate said rotating comb means about the center of said circle past the feed mechanisms whereby the ends of the slivers are continuously combed in turn, clamping means to clamp each sliver adjacent its forward end on said feed circle While the forward end is being cotnbed, drawing-off means arranged to grip the combed forward ends of each sliver in turn and to draw-off from the sliver the fibers gripped, the drawing-off means having a rotational movement about the center of said circle relative to the feeding mechanisms a comb arranged adjacent each said feeding mechanism, means to move each such comb into the combed ends of the sliver adjacent said gripping means whereby the remaining rear portions of thefibers drawn-off by said withdrawing means are combed while being drawn-off and means to take up combed fibers from said drawing-off means and form them into a sliver or slivers.

According to the present invention a textile combing machine comprises a rotary circular ring which carries around on its outer periphery the fibers to be combed in the form of a number of balls like each of which has an adjacent feeding mechanism attached to and revolving with the ring whereby the fibers are fed substantially radially inwards over a smooth or grooved upper surface of the ring to form a substantially continuous annular layer the inner end of which overhangs the inner periphery of the ring. to form a fringe means for clamping the fibers at predetermined points along their circular traverse into a continuous groove around the upper inner periphery of the ring by nip blocks which are carried around with and above the ring while the protruding fringe is combed by one of a plurality of pin rotating combs in fixed positions relative to the ring, a means of drawing-off the combed fringe by drawing it substantially radially inwards through the top comb pins which are carried around with and above the ring and penetrate the fringe from above at points adjacent to each drawing off mechanism, means for removing noil from the comb pins and means for forming the drawn off comb fibers into a continuous sliver.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 .-is a partially cut-away plan view of the machine in which for simplicity recurring units around the periphery are not all shown in full;

FIG. 1a is a detail plan to a larger scale;

FIG. 2 is a composite section of the machine shown in FIG. 1 in which the components are shown out of phase the better to illustrate their relation to each other;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation of a part of the circle shown in FIG. I the central sliver-combining mechanism being omitted for clarity;

FIGS. 40 to 4f are diagrammatic elevations illustrating successive stages in the cycle of operation;

FIGS. 50 to 5f are diagrammatic elevations illustrating successive stages in a modified! cycle of operations;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the plough knives and straightening plate of the modified arrangement;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of inverted plough knives and pinned nip blocks; 7

FIG. 8 is a linear sequence chart and cam profiles;

FIGS. 9a to 9g are diagrammatic illustration of the successive stages of (a) feeding the wool, (b) ploughing and straightening (c) nip comb penetration (d) initial combing (e) initial inverted ploughing (f) reverse feeding (g) and final combing and drawing-off;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a reverse feed knife;

FIG. 1 1 is a linear sequence chart and cam profile for the modification shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a detail plan view of nip comb pinning and interlocking showing oblique overlap to avoid interblock gaps and is applicable to all arrangements;

FIG. 13 is a composite elevation of a swing arm actuation of nip combs;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic plan showing the positions of the stages illustrated in FIG. 11. j

The combing machine consists of a substantially annular stationary bed-ring 1 which may be hollow to permit of steam heating and whichis raised on legs or supports 1a to a suitable height from the floor so as to lie in a substantially horizontal plane. The cross-section of the bed-ring l in a radial plane is not important but may conveniently be rectangular, the upper surface of the bed-ring being substantially flat and horizontal and provided with a continuous circular groove to accommodate a number of balls 2 or rollers which act as a bearing and permit the free rotation in a substantially horizontal plane of another superimposed annular ring henceforth designated the circle 3 which has a corresponding bearing groove on its underside. The radial cross-section of the circle approximates to either a rectangle or a triangle truncated at the radially inner end, the underside being substantially horizontal, the outer side substantially vertical, the upper surface smooth, substantially flat and horizontal or preferably sloping downwards from the outer periphery to the inner. The inner, substantially vertical side of the circle is provided with a continuous rack or ring of gear teeth 4 to enable the circle to be rotated about a substantially vertical axis through its center by a suitable spur gear 5 driven by a motor 5a. At the inside edge of its upper surface the circle is provided with a circumferentially continuous nip groove 6 (FIGS. 40, 4d) so shaped that the clamped fibers are bent through at least one angle to eliminate slippage. The groove may be faced with a relatively soft material such as leather or rubber to increase grip and prevent damage to the wool.

Attached substantially equidistantly around the outside of the circle are a multiplicity of brackets or supports 7 the number of which is open to choice, for example eighteen. From each adjacent pair of brackets is suspended on drop-arms 7a a creel or pair of freelyrotatable rollers 8 which carry the wool to be combed in the form of four-ended punch-balls 9 as is wellknown in the art relating to Noble Combs. Also between each adjacent pair of brackets are mounted a number of cylindrical outer guide rollers 10, for example three, with their principal axes lying substantially horizontal and tangentially to the circle. One outer roller 10 is smooth, flanged and freely rotatable over which the punch-ball slivers are first placed and which guides the slivers between a pair of feed rollers 11, 12 (FIG. 2) mounted one above the other both lying radially inside the guide roller. The upper feed roller 11 is an idling roller free to rotate on a spindle 11a and also free to rise and fall vertically which action may be provided for, for example, by locating the ends of its spindle in vertical grooves 11b or guides in the feed brackets, and may be weighted or spring-loaded to increase the grip on the wool, in the absence of which the pair of feed rollers make approximately line contact at a height substantially level with the outer top edge of the circle so that the wool issuing from the feed rollers is fed over the upper face of the circle. To assist passage of the wool between the feed rollers and the circle an intervening supporting plate 13 may be provided blended in a smooth curve into the upper face of the circle. The feed rollers may be faced in friction material or fluted to give better grip. The lower, driving feed roller is provided at one end with a helically cut gear 14 of diameter larger than the roller. At a predetermined point or points around the traverse of a the circle the lower part of this feed gear comes into contact with a short, fixed, toothed feed rack 15 which may conveniently be supported, for example, on a bracket 16 attached to the outer side of the bed-ring.

The upper surface of the feed rack 15 (FIG. 2) is provided with helically cut teeth which correspond to and engage with the teeth of the feed gear causing the latter and thus also the feed roller to which it is attached to revolve, as the gear traverses across the fixed rack, in a direction whereby the top of the driving feed roller moves inwards towards the circle. The amount of motion imparted to the feed roller is determined by the length of the feed rack and the angle of the helical teeth, and thus the length of wool fed per cycle is easily changed by substituting feed racks 15 of different lengths which may be kept in readiness and made easily interchangeable. The meeting edges of the teeth on both the feed rack and feed gear may be chamfered off so that they enter into engagement easily without baulking. Although this method of driving the feed rollers is preferred, many other methods are available.

A ratchet l7 and pawl l8'are provided for driving the feed rollers to prevent reverse rotation thereof drawing the wool backwards. Another ratchet and pawl or picking mechanism may be fitted to the punch-ball creel or the creel may be temporarily lifted to assist feeding by relieving tension on the wool during unwinding of the punch-ball as is well-known in the art. A

punch ball is defined as a ball or sliver of wool for combing, comprising four separate slivers all wound on the same spindle.

The wool which is fed over the upper face of the circle aided by the downward slope of this face to form a continuous fringe overhanging the inner edge of the nip groove by a short distance the optimum for which will depend upon the fiber length of the wool being combed. In the case of short or relatively non-springy wool or other fibers their passage over the circle may be assisted by blowing jets of air upwards and radially inwards through holes 19 or slots on to the underside of the wool to reduce friction as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4a. Such holes may be drilled through the circle at approximately equal intervals in one or more rings extending completely around the circumference the lower end of the holes terminating in a continuous groove or channel 20 of approximately rectangular cross section provided on the underside of the circle.

Directly underneath this air channel at appropriate points around the circumference holes or ports 21 are provided through the bed-ring of width equal to that of the air channel, the lower end of each air port being closed for example by a cover plate 22 which is fitted with a connection whereby compressed air may be continuously admitted. On the upper face of the cover plate inside the air port rests an annular, resilient pressure ring 23 on top which rests an air seal 24 in the form of a rigid hollow cylinder with accurately square ends. The pressure rings forms a substantially air-tight joint with the lower end of the air seal the upper end of which is pressed lightly in sliding contact with the fiat top of the air channel. By this means air is constrained to pass through the holes in the circle only when these holes coincide with the air seal, and the wool is thus not disturbed by air elsewhere around the circle. The air ports are so positioned that coincidence occurs while the wool is being fed or immediately thereafter. As a further aid to feeding the wool a fixed straightening plate may be provided at or immediately after the air blowing point so that the wool is lifted on to the straightening plate by the air. The straightening plate may be conveniently attached for example to the inner periphery of the bed-ring and should be thin with a chamfered leading edge of a contour closely corresponding with and lightly touching the circle surface and nip groove. As the wool travels over the stationary straightening plate it is helped by sliding contact therewith to move radially inwards and thus take up the full amount which was fed by the rollers. With some fibers, when such a straightening plate is used the air jets may be dispensed with. In some cases neither air jets nor straightening plate are essential.

As the circle continues to rotate after the feeding stage nip blocks 26 come into play. These are of approximately rectangular cross section in the radial and tangential planes and may be of wood, metal, hard rubber, plastic or other suitable material and are several in number, varying from one to six for each support bracket. Merely by way of illustrated in the present example there are thirty-six nip blocks inall, mounted in end-to-end contact so as to form a continuous ring directly above the nip groove, each nip block being shaped to fit the contours of the nip groove in the circle and capable of being provided with a soft friction facing to increase the grip and prevent fiber damage. Each nip block is attached at its upper face to, and

caused to move by, one or more substantially vertical actuating rods 27 which are free to slide up and down through holes or bushes 28 in a carrier ring 29 of ap proximately rectangular U-section which is situated above and concentric with the circle and attached to the circle by supports 30 so that they move in unison. The outer ends of the supports may, for example, abut on to the feed brackets. The actuating rods are loaded by springs 31 and provided with stops 32 so that they tend to adopt the raised position with the nip blocks well clear of the wool lying across the circle, but are caused to descend at a predetermined point subsequent to each wool feeding stage by their upper ends coming into contact with a fixed carn bar 33 mounted on supports 25 which is mounted above the carrier ring over the center-line of the actuating rods and of an equal mean radius of curvature to this center-line. The cam bar 33 is greater in depth than the rise and fall of the nip blocks and has a substantially flat and horizontal lower edge but is provided with a downwards-sloping ramp at its leading end to depress the actuating rods and an upwards sloping ramp at the trailing end to allow the rods to rise again under the action of their springs. The cam bar may be conveniently attached to the bed-ring or other fixed part of the machine and should preferably be provided with means of horizontal and vertical adjustment.

The actuating rods may be topped by an anti-wear cap of metal or other suitable material, or be provided with a small freely rotatable wheel or roller 34 to reduce sliding friction and wear on the cam bar. If the nip blocks are each attached to only one actuating rod 27 in order to prevent the blocks twisting out of alignment with the nip groove one end of each block may be provided with a vertical tongue and the other end with a groove such that the ends of adjacent nip blocks interlock yet are still free to slide in a vertical direction. The height of the nip blocks is greater than their rise and fall so that the tongues and grooves do not come out of mesh. If two or more parallel rods are used for each nip block, tongues and grooves are not necessary. The actuating rods 27 may be in two portions separated vertically by a spring or rubber block so as to apply a more uniform pressure to the wool and accommodate a varying thickness thereof. The length of the straight portion of the cam bar 33is such as to hold the nip blocks depressed while the protruding wool fringe is carried round past a revolving comb 35 which may consist for example of a regular cylinder the curved surface of which is provided with a number of substantially parallel rows of pins 350. The cylinder comb is situated in a fixed position within the circle close to the nip groove 6 andhas its principal axis inclined at angle to the horizontal and thus to the plane of the circle. The midpoint of the cylinder side closest to the circle is level in'a vertical sense with the innermost edge of the nip groove 6 while the projection of the cylinder axis on to the horizontal plane of the nip groove is substantially parallel to a tangent to the nip groove through a point immediately opposite the mid-point of the cylinder wall. In this way the cylinder comb 35 is substantially symmetrical vertically and horizontally with respect to the nip groove 6, and is caused to rotate continuously around its principal axis by a suitable driving mechanism such as the motor 7b FIG. 3 at such a speed that the component of the linear velocity of the pin tips in the horizontal plane of the nip groove 6 is approximately equal in direction and magnitude to the linear velocity of the inner periphery of the nip groove. The cylinder comb 35 by virtue of its inclined axis has also a vertical velocity component relative to the circle so that successive rows of its pins 35a pass vertically through the wool fringe with no significant horizontal disturbance and thereby remove the unwanted noil, short fibers and particulate impurities.

Towards the trailing end of the cylinder the pins 35a may be arranged to increase in fineness, proximity to each other and length so that the combing action commences relatively gently and becomes progressively more thorough. It is preferred that the cylinder comb rotates in such a direction that the pins pass upward through the wool fringe, the wool being held down in the pins 35a of the cylinder comb by a brush or brushes 26a attached to and projecting from the inner vertical side of each nip block 26. The cylinder comb is so mounted that its distance from the circle can be easily adjusted to accommodate different lengths of wool or types of fiber. The rows of pins 35a may be arranged so that each row, when it is opposite the nip groove 6, lies entirely within the horizontal plane, but it is preferred for ease of construction and for a more gentle action on the wool that the rows be substantially straight and parallel to the rotational axis of the cylinder 35. The number of rows of pins should preferably be sufficient to ensure that several rows pass through the wool fringe during its traverse past the cylinder comb. The actual number of rows required will depend upon the diameter and length of the cylinder, the inclination of its axis and its rotational velocity.

The dimensions of the cylinder comb and angle of inclination of its axis have been found to be critically dependent on each other in order that the desirable close agreement in curvature between the cylinder wall and the nip groove over the whole length of the cylinder may be maintained, and if this fact is not taken into account unsatisfactory combing can occur. Although exact agreement in curvature can be produced by shaping the cylinder not in a regular form but with appropriately curved sides this presents difficulties in manufacture. Although specially shaped cylinders are envisaged as falling within the scope of the present invention it is preferred to use a regular cylinder form and it has been discovered that a satisfactory agreement in curvature between the side of a regular cylinder, which has an elliptical cross-section in the horizontal plane of thenip, and the immediately adjacent, truly circular arc of the nip groove edge obtains when the following relation-ship is exactly or approximately fulfilled:

L half length of the cylinder comb measured axially 0 angle of inclination of the cylinder axis to the horizontal r= radius of the cylinder comb measured to pin tips all pins being of equal length R radius of the inner edge of the nip groove minus the average clearance between the nip groove and the adjacent cylinder comb pin tips Within this general relationship it is stipulated that L be less than r/tan and preferably less than r, and that 6 be less than 45.

It is possible to depart considerably from these general requirements however and yet still employ a regular cylindrical rotating comb by varying the pin length along the cylinder so that the path swept by the pin tips corresponds in curvature with, and in the plane of, the nip groove, according to the foregoing equation. If the pins are varied uniformly in length from end to end of the revolving comb it is possible to use a conical instead of a cylindrical pin base, this also being easy to manufacture, the included angle of the cone being such as to keep the swept volume of the pin tips a regular cylinder.

The dimensions of the cylinder comb should also be such that it has sufficient clearance from other parts of the apparatus mounted on the revolving circle, and for this reason it is helpful to keep the cylinder as short and the angle of inclination of its axis as small as possible consistent with the other requirements as herein stated.

The horizontal velocities I of the cylinder comb periphery and the adjacent circle in the plane of the nip groove are not exactly equal over the whole length of the cylinder even though that be made so at any given point. A differential horizontal velocity exists elsewhere on the surface of the cylinder, but this is not large enough to be important as long as the cylinder it kept reasonably short, its radius reasonably large and its axis not inclined too steeply to the horizontal.

The noil may be removed from the cylinder comb by a means similar to that which is well-known in the art relating to Rectilinear Combs, namely by a revolving circular brush 36 to clear the cylinder pins, a card roller to clear the brush and a doffer to clear the card roller and deposit the noil in a suitable container.

Following the action of the cylinder comb, designated Initial Combing, the circle continues to rotate bearing the combed fringe of wool. When this fringe is clear of the trailing end of the cylinder comb 35 it is then penetrated from above by a succession of top combs 37 which descend substantially vertically. The number of top combs may conveniently be made equal to the number of nip blocks, each top comb consisting essentially of a block 37 approximately equal in size to a nip block. The top comb blocks form a complete ring concentric with and inside the ring of nip blocks and close enough thereto for the brushes 26a on the nip blocks to contact the outer faces of the top comb blocks which are in end-to-end contact with each other and which may be tongued and grooved like the nip blocks to prevent twisting out of alignment. At tached to and extending substantially vertically downwards from the underside of each top block along the edge adjacent to the nip blocks is a closely spaced row of pins 370 which may be oval or flat-sided for greater strength and more efficient combing. The row of pins should extend completely to the ends of the block so as to leave between a terminal pin and the adjacent pin on the immediately neighboring block a gap substantially equal to that between any two other pins.

In the case of oval or flat pins the major axis of their cross-section is preferred to lie in a substantially radial direction but may be inclined slightly so that the radially inner end of the axis points in the direction of rotation of the circle. The top comb 37 blocks may be of wood, metal, hard rubber, plastic or other suitable material and may have the pins 37a fixed in place during a moulding or casting operation. The pins should be of sufficient length to penetrate completely through the wool fringe when the top comb descends and are so positioned to penetrate the fringe slightly radially inwards of the combing line of the cylinder comb so that all uncombed wool remains behind or radially outside the pins. The method of attachment and actuation of the top comb blocks 37 is similar to that of the nip blocks 26, comprising one or more spring-loaded actuating or guide rods which slide substantially vertically through the carrier ring in holes or bushes which are on a circle concentric with and inside the circle of holes for the nip block rods. The rise and fall of the actuating rods 27 is effected by a second cam bar 33a fixed concentrically inside the cam bar 33 for nip operation but slightly displaced therefrom in a circumferential direction.

To assist detachment of the fibers the free end of fringe may be pointed slightly in the direction of rotation of the circle before drawing off by a revolving star wheel or air blast as known in the art relating to Noble Combs. I

To assist penetration of the fringe by the top comb, at the point where the top comb descends the wool fringe passes over a fixed, smooth supporting plate 38 which may conveniently be attached to the inner side of the bed-ring 1. The upper face of this plate is approximately level with the base of the nip groove and at just sufficient distance therefrom to leave space for the top comb pins 37a to pass between without touching. When complete penetration of the wool by the top comb has occurred, the adjacent nip blocks 26 rise on their cam to free the outer ends of the fibers, and continued rotation of the circle brings the wool clear of the supporting plate 38 and opposite a pair of drawing-off rollers 39 driven from a gear box 390 by the motor 5a and which are contra-rotating on substantially vertical and mutually parallel axes inside the circle and which are set close to each other and close to the inner side of the top comb pins 370 so as to grip the fibers protruding therefrom. The drawing-off rollers 39 may be of the type well-known in the art relating to Noble Combs, for example, fluted in a longitudinal direction and covered by soft leather, endless belts 40 the other ends of which are carried around additional rollers 41 situated towards the center of the circle. Additional tensioning rollers may also be provided. The fibers which are gripped by the drawing-off rollers are pulled through the top comb 37 leaving noil and impurities trapped behind the pins, during which operation the wool is supported by the base of the nip groove 6 so that none can escape combing by passing underneath the pins. The detached combed fibers are conveyed towards the center of the circle by the leather belts 40 and then pass as a continuous sliver through a revolving guide funnel 42 to impart a slight temporary twist and out of the machine into a suitable receptacle, for example a cancoiler, as well-known in the art.

A means of adjusting the gap between the drawingoff rollers 39 and the top comb pins 370 is provided to accommodate different fiber lengths and to adjust the tear, i.e., the ratio of top to noil, which is also dependent on the amount of feed and the setting of the cylinder comb,

Following the Final Combing operation, continued rotation of the circle allows the top combs to lift out of the wool as their actuating rods reach the trailing end of their cam bar, thus leaving the wool on the circle free for the next cycle of feeding and combing to commence. The noil trapped behind the top comb pins 37a is removedwhen the adjacent nip block 26 next descends, by the brush fixed thereto, and falls on to the inner end of the wool fringe to be removed during the next initial Combing state, The brush 26a on the nip block thus has more than one function: it holds the wool in the cylinder comb pins during initial combing, it removes noil from the top comb pins, and by exerting pressure when in the raised position on the top comb blocks it helps to keep these blocks correctly aligned.

The supports 30 may be in the form of swinging or pivoted arms 130 as shown in FIG. 13 with the nip blocks 26 or 126 affixed thereto, the arms being actuated by the cam bar 33 and lifted by means not shown in FIG. 13.

The nature of the invention having now been described and explained it will be apparent that since the cylinder comb needs to be of only small size relative to the circle, and since the drawing-off rollers are also relatively small, there is room for several combing cycles and mechanisms to be accommodated around the circle as is well illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the illustrations three cycles are embodied, but

this example is not to be construed as limiting the invention in any way and clearly fewer or more than three cycles per revolution may be provided for. When more than three cycles per revolution are concerned it is helpful to make the nip and top comb blocks shorter in length andgreater in number, and also the cam bars may be in the form of a continuous circle provided with upward and downward sloping ramps where ap propriate. In ordermore clearly to illustrate the invention merely by way of example suitable dimensions of the principal components may be:

inside diameter of circle 48 inches diameter of cylinder comb across pin 6 inches tips length of cylinder comb 3 inches angle of cylinder comb axis to 38' horizontal maximum deviation in curvature 0.000l inches between circle and cylinder comb approx. outside diameter of drawing-off ll: inches rollers speed of rotation of circle 5 r.p.m. speed of rotation of cylinder comb l l3.l r.p.m. rows of pins on cylinder comb 36 rows of pins traversing fringe J l7.38 during initial combing.

It has been further discovered that the deviation D in curvature between the combing line and the arc of intersection at any point may be expressed in the form: D =r- (rq tan 0) -R'R q sec 0) where q is the distance of the point from the center of the combing line measured along the tangent at that point to the combing line. 1

It is important that this deviation D should not exceed 0.5 inch or preferably 0.1 inch, and as long as this requirement is observed it is possible to use systems which depart quite considerably from the above equation, such departure giving more latitude in the design parameters, which is particularly advantageous in the case of longer fibers.

A particular advantage of this machine is that in addition to combing wool or textile fibers in the usual way it may also be used to accomplish fiber sorting. In order to do this only one feeding and initial combing stage is provided followed by three sets of drawing-off rollers set in turn progressively nearer the top comb pins 37a which remain inthe lowered position through all three detaching operations by virtue of a lengthened cam bar 33a. By this means the first set of drawing-off rollers 39 detach only the longest fibers, a second set the medium length fibers and a third set the shortest fibers (excluding noil), the three resultant slivers being conveyed separately to different receptacles instead of being combined.

The constructions illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 8 incorporate some modifications in the combing machine described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4f.

The upper surface of the circle3 is formed substantially horizontal and the air channel 20 and air jets 19 are dispensed with. The-upper surface of the circle 3 is provided with a plurality of concentric continuous grooves 3a extending downwards into the circle but not completely through (FIG. 6).

The wool is fed radially inwards over the circle as previously described and then, as the circle rotates, meets a series of fixed plough knives 43 which are accommodated in the grooves 3a of the circle and which are sloped upwards at their leading end so as to lift the wool a short distance above the surface of the circle on to a fixed smooth substantially horizontal plate 44 extending across the annular width of the circle where the slack in the fibers is taken up as is known in the art relating to Noble Combs (see FIGS. 6 and 7). FIG. 7 shows a similar plough knife 43a pivoted on a spindle 43b. Shortly after the straightened wool has fallen back on to the circle surfaceafter reaching the trailing end of the straightening plate it is gripped along the inner periphery of the circle by a series of nip blocks 126, the underside of which is shown in FIG. 12 which descend in turn substantially vertically on actuating rods as hereinbefore described with the difference that the underside of each nip block 126 is provided with several rows of pins 126a which project therefrom substantially vertically downwards and which are accommodated in the grooves in the circle when the nip blocks have descended (FIG. 5c) so that the nipping action of the block is not hindered. In order to increase the firmness of the nip the underside of each nip block 126 may be provided with a projecting tapered rib or ridge or series of ribs or ridges 126b which correspond to grooves 3b in the surface of the circle. By suitably shaping the ridges 12611 and mating grooves 3b a horizontal wedge force can readily be achieved which reduces the vertical force necessary to achieve a firm nip. The grip on the wool is also reinforced by the rows of pins 126a and the nip blocks 126 may be made thicker radially to the circle than shown in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2 in order to accommodate an adequate number of rows of pins 126a preferably at least three in number. i

With the wool fringe gripped by the nip blocks the fringe is continuously combed by the cylinder comb 35 (FIG. b) as previously described after which the top combs descend in turn to penetrate the fringe with the aid of a supporting plate 138 (FIG. 50), then final combing and drawing off take place again as previously described, but the nip block cam 133a (FIG. 8) is so shaped as to allow the nip blocks 126 partially to rise during final combing so as to relax their grip on the wool yet leave the fibers still penetrated by the nip block pins 126a which thus control the drafting of the fibers during drawing off (FIG. 5d). Following final combing drawing off firstly the top combs 137 ascend, being thereby denoiled by the brushes 26a attached to the nip blocks 126, followed by the nip blocks 126 which rise to the full extent of their travel so that their pin tips clear the wool. Some denoiling of the top comb also occurs during the initial descent of the nip blocks at the clamping stage. Freeing of the wool from the nip block pins is assisted by a number of fixed inverted plough knives (FIG. 7) which pass between the rows of pins 126a and which are so shaped at their leading ends as to deflect the wool downwards to that it falls back on to the circle 3 in readiness for feeding for the next cycle to take place, and also by a revolving noil brush if desired.

In the arrangement described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 no provision was made for vertical oscillation of the drawing rollers 39 the leathers of which would therefore wear more quickly than on a Noble Comb. Such oscillation can however readily be provided for by modifying the top comb blocks 137 so that the lower half of each block is thinner than the upper half in a direction radial to the circle (FIG. 5a Adequate strength is thus retained in the top half where the actuating rods is attached. Narrowing of the top comb blocks 137 in this way entails making the tongues and grooves on their ends as narrow as possible. Arms 130 (of which there should be 18) replace the support arms 30 (FIG. 3) supported by one of the 18 rigid brackets 131. With three or more nipping stations equispaced around the circumference there is little tendency for the carrier ring to tilt and in any case the vertical nipping force is not transmitted to the carrier ring, which only bears the spring pressure.

The wool during descent of the top comb 137, is firmly gripped on one side by the nip whilst on the other side the supporting plate 138 is intended to be set as closely as possible to the top comb pins in their lowered position (FIG. 50). If the gap between plate and pins is, say, 0.05 inch which would be easy to achieve, it is extremely unlikely that the wool would be pushed down into the gap because it will be as well or better supported than the beard in a rectilinear comb at the corresponding stage. Should depression of the wool actually occur, however, it could be prevented for example by a spring steel blade attached vertically inside the supporting plate so as to press lightly on the sides of the pins as they descend.

In a further modification FIGS. 9a -9g the top combs 37 and 137 and cam bars 33a are omitted and the final combing and drawing off is achieved through the rows of pins 126a affixed to the nip blocks 126 as described with reference to FIG. 5, which means that several rows of pins 226a may be used instead of one at this stage, with consequent improvement in the intensity of combing and fiber control during drafting. The successive rows of pins 226a may be progressively finer and more closely spaced to ensure a progressive combing action. To bring the inside row of pins nearer the drawing off rollers 39 FIG. 9g this row of pins overhangs the inside periphery of the circle being accommodated in a recess or open-fronted groove 30 therein when in the lowered position. Since this arrangement as it stands would result in a short portion of the wool slivers remaining uncombed, i.e., the portion which passes between the inside row of top pins and the pins of the cylinder comb 35, a reverse-feed stage is introduced during which the fringe, after initial combing, is moved in the reverse direction to the normal feed over such a distance that all uncombed wool will lie behind the front row of top pins 226a before these descend prior to final combing. The nip blocks 226 with pins 226a attached, hereinafter called the nip combs, thus have a dual purpose and a multiple action in relation to the rest of the machine, of which the successive stages in each combing cycle are shown in FIG. 9a-9g and which may be listed as follows:

i. feeding the wool radially inwards over the circle 3 by means of feed rollers or conductor boxes as previously described.

ii. taking up the feed and straightening the wool slivers.

iii. nipping the back of the fringe by descend of the nip blocks 226.

iv. initial combing of the free and of the fringe by the cylinder comb 35.

v. full ascent of nip blocks and pins 226a with ploughing of wool and noil from their pins by fixed inverted plough knives 43 passing between the rows ofpins 2260 (FIG. 7).

vi. reverse feed (less than the forward feed) reversing the action of the feed rollers or by the wool passing under a fixed reverse feed knife 200 (FIG. 9f) or wheel which depresses the slivers into concave groove 30 on the circle surface radially outwards of the nip comb downward movement of the reverse feed knife 200 presses the wool downwards into the slot in the upper annular ring 3 thereby retracting the free end of the sliver (FIG. 9f).

vii. partial descent of nip block 226 so that their pins 226a penetrate through the wool without any clamping action thereon.

viii. final combing and drawing off through the nip pins 226a by drawing off rollers 39.

ix. full ascent of nip blocks 226 with ploughing of wool and noil from their pins.

x. recommencement of feeding for the next cycle.

The cycle may thus be subdivided into 9 distinct stages, although some of these may be arranged to coincide, For example feeding may be simultaneously with final combing, thus economizing on the angular distance around the circle required for each cycle. The clearing action of the inverted plough knives especially on burrs could be augmented by a revolving noil brush 226k in a fixed position relative to the circle acting on the nip block comb pins 226a.

This arrangement presents some advantages over those previously described as follows: (a) there is no restriction on the vertical oscillation of the drawing off rollers 39 (b) the use of air jets through the circle is unnecessary c) the absence of top combs gives more latitude in the dimensions of the cylinder comb 35.

What I claim is:

1. In a textile fiber combing machine, an annular member mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, means on the outer periphery of said member for supporting a plurality of supply packages of fiber to be combed in circumferentially spaced relation, fiber feed means mounted to rotate with said member and disposed adjacent each said supply for feeding fibers substantially radially inwardly from the supply packages over the upper surface of said member toward the interior of said member to form on said member substantially continuous fiber layer the inner end of which provides a fringe overhanging the inner periphery of said member, rotary cylinder means adjacent the inner periphery of said member having surface pins for initially combing said fringe during rotation of said member, said cylinder means being rotatable on axes that are inclined with respect to the horizontal and the direction of rotation being such that the fringe is combed during upward movement of said cylinder pins relative to said fringe, means at the inner periphery of said member providing a continuous annular nip groove in said member in underlying relation to said fiber layer, a plurality of nip blocks mounted to rotate with said member and disposed in an annular row in alignment with said groove, means for periodically displacing nip blocks to clamp fibers at predetermining regions along said groove during said initial combing, means mounted on said member for further combing said fringe, and means for detaching said combed fringe and drawing it inwardly away from said member through said further combing means.

2. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said means for further combing said fringe comprising pins on said nip blocks adapted to penetrate said layer.

3. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 2, there being a plurality of rows of said pins on each nip block.

4. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 10, means for reversely feeding the initially combed fibers substantially radially outwardly of said member prior to said further combing.

5. In the textile fiber combing means defined in claim 4, saidupper surface of said member being recessed, and said reverse feeding means comprising a periodically actuated movable knife adapted to depress said layer into said surface recess.

6. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said means for further combing said fringe comprising a plurality of comb pin devices mounted to rotate with said member and disposed in a row adjacent said nip blocks and means for periodically displacing comb pins to penetrate said fringe during rotation of said member and in timed relation with said initial combing.

7. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, brush means on said nip blocks for operatively engaging fibersv being combed by said cylinder means.

8. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said member being a circular ring rotatable about a vertical axis and havin% a relatively smooth upper surface for supporting sat layer of fi ers, said means for supporting supply packages and mounting said feed means being distributed around the outer periphery of said ring, said nip groove being an upwardly facing circular recess at the inner periphery of said ring, meansmounting said nip blocks for vertical reciprocation toward and away from said nip groove and relatively stationary cam means for intermittently operating said nip blocks in timed relation to said feed means.

9. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said feed means comprising intermittently driven roller means. i

10. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 9, said roller means comprising upper and lower rollers defining a feed pass, a gear fixed to one of said rollers and stationary rack means periodically engaged by said gear during rotation of said member to effect intermittent operation of the feed means.

11. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said initial combing means comprising a plurality of rotatable combing cylinders distributed around the inner periphery of said member and having surface pins engageable with said fringe.

12.,In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said means for further combing the fringe comprising a row of top combs having pins and mounted to rotate with said member and located substantially concentric with and inwardly of the nip blocks, and means for periodically actuating said top combs to cause said pins to penetrate the fiber layer where they remain while the fringe is being drawn inwardly away from said member. I

13. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 12, means operative at stations between said initial combing and said further combing for reversely feeding the initially combed fibers a distance less than the forward feed by, said feed means but far enough to bring any part of the fringe that has avoided initial combing to a position radially outwardly of the radially innermost top comb pins. I 

1. In a textile fiber combing machine, an annular member mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, means on the outer periphery of said member for supporting a plurality of supply packages of fiber to be combed in circumferentially spaced relation, fiber feed means mounted to rotate with said member and disposed adjacent each said supply for feeding fibers substantially radially inwardly from the supply packages over the upper surface of said member toward the interior of said member to form on said member substantially continuous fiber layer the inner end of which provides a fringe overhanging the inner periphery of said member, rotary cylinder means adjacent the inner periphery of said member having surface pins for initially combing said fringe during rotation of said member, said cylinder means being rotatable on axes that are inclined with respect to the horizontal and the direction of rotation being such that the fringe is combed during upward movement of said cylinder pins relative to said fringe, means at the inner periphery of said member providing a continuous annular nip groove in said member in underlying relation to said fiber layer, a plurality of nip blocks mounted to rotate with said member and disposed in an annular row in alignment with said groove, means for periodically displacing nip blocks to clamp fibers at predetermining regions along said groove during said initial combing, Means mounted on said member for further combing said fringe, and means for detaching said combed fringe and drawing it inwardly away from said member through said further combing means.
 1. In a textile fiber combing machine, an annular member mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, means on the outer periphery of said member for supporting a plurality of supply packages of fiber to be combed in circumferentially spaced relation, fiber feed means mounted to rotate with said member and disposed adjacent each said supply for feeding fibers substantially radially inwardly from the supply packages over the upper surface of said member toward the interior of said member to form on said member substantially continuous fiber layer the inner end of which provides a fringe overhanging the inner periphery of said member, rotary cylinder means adjacent the inner periphery of said member having surface pins for initially combing said fringe during rotation of said member, said cylinder means being rotatable on axes that are inclined with respect to the horizontal and the direction of rotation being such that the fringe is combed during upward movement of said cylinder pins relative to said fringe, means at the inner periphery of said member providing a continuous annular nip groove in said member in underlying relation to said fiber layer, a plurality of nip blocks mounted to rotate with said member and disposed in an annular row in alignment with said groove, means for periodically displacing nip blocks to clamp fibers at predetermining regions along said groove during said initial combing, Means mounted on said member for further combing said fringe, and means for detaching said combed fringe and drawing it inwardly away from said member through said further combing means.
 2. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said means for further combing said fringe comprising pins on said nip blocks adapted to penetrate said layer.
 3. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 2, there being a plurality of rows of said pins on each nip block.
 4. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 10, means for reversely feeding the initially combed fibers substantially radially outwardly of said member prior to said further combing.
 5. In the textile fiber combing means defined in claim 4, said upper surface of said member being recessed, and said reverse feeding means comprising a periodically actuated movable knife adapted to depress said layer into said surface recess.
 6. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said means for further combing said fringe comprising a plurality of comb pin devices mounted to rotate with said member and disposed in a row adjacent said nip blocks and means for periodically displacing comb pins to penetrate said fringe during rotation of said member and in timed relation with said initial combing.
 7. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, brush means on said nip blocks for operatively engaging fibers being combed by said cylinder means.
 8. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said member being a circular ring rotatable about a vertical axis and having a relatively smooth upper surface for supporting said layer of fibers, said means for supporting supply packages and mounting said feed means being distributed around the outer periphery of said ring, said nip groove being an upwardly facing circular recess at the inner periphery of said ring, means mounting said nip blocks for vertical reciprocation toward and away from said nip groove and relatively stationary cam means for intermittently operating said nip blocks in timed relation to said feed means.
 9. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said feed means comprising intermittently driven roller means.
 10. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 9, said roller means comprising upper and lower rollers defining a feed pass, a gear fixed to one of said rollers and stationary rack means periodically engaged by said gear during rotation of said member to effect intermittent operation of the feed means.
 11. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 8, said initial combing means comprising a plurality of rotatable combing cylinders distributed around the inner periphery of said member and having surface pins engageable with said fringe.
 12. In the textile fiber combing machine defined in claim 1, said means for further combing the fringe comprising a row of top combs having pins and mounted to rotate with said member and located substantially concentric with and inwardly of the nip blocks, and means for periodically actuating said top combs to cause said pins to penetrate the fiber layer where they remain while the fringe is being drawn inwardly away from said member. 